World War Three
The Third World War, also known as the 5th Gulf War and the Final Arab-Israeli War, was a conflict fought on Earth between the 7th of March 2115 and the 19th of October 2116 that culminated with the first major nuclear exchange in human history. As a result of the War over three billion people died across the globe both from the atomic detonations and later from the effects of a nuclear winter. Prelude to War By the last quarter of the 21st century the influence of the Arab dominated Middle East on world politics had been greatly reduced. The massive decrease in demand for oil following the development of fusion power technology combined with more efficient electric motors and high density batteries had greatly reduced the regions economic importance whilst at the same time several efforts to regenerate the region had failed due to growing inter-tribal rivalries. The only Arab countries which were able to adapt to the changing global situation were Oman (which had become a major centre of finance) and the United Arab Emirates, which had developed a thriving manufacturing base. A major problem facing the Arab countries was their inability to feed their people. Several attempts at creating large scale agricultural projects had collapsed over arguments about land ownership, government plans to carry out compulsary purchases resulted in several major riots across the region In 2085 four countries - Iraq, Jordan, the Lebanon, and Syria - agreed to form a monetary and political union in a similar manner to the WEU. The Pan-Arab League (عموم لجامعة الدول العربية ) eventually expanded to include Kuwait and Yemen. Saudia Arabia and Egypt were invited to join in 2092 but both declined. At the same time Israel and the Palestinian Territories were experiencing something of an economic boom. Several Israeli companies had invested heavily in the development and construction of electric motors and these had quickly gained a reputation as being amongst the best in the world. At the same time a multi-million dollar desalination plant south of Gaza City had allowed for the creation of several massive agricultural projects. The main source of contention between Israel and the Pan-Arab League was access to a series of undergroud aquifers beneath the Jordan river valley. Israel had little need for this water thanks to its desalination programme but at the same time it was unwilling to allow Pan-Arab companies access to it's territory to drill into these aquifers. Opening Moves The Pan-Arab League was in a prestigious position for a while. They were making quite a profit selling of mounds of oil and being able to draw excess cash from the sales. Especially with help from the cartels in Mexico. However, it was not to last. Tensions were mounting between the middle eastern nations, if not the world. Not only that, but also with Israeli was now in position of nuclear weapons and of which was ready to use them. However, the world didn't know about it yet, at least. The Pan-Arab League was seeing Israeli as a thorn in their side even before it was formed. With the U.N also losing much of it's power in the later half of the 21st century and early 22nd century all it really was by this point was a discussion table for talking about the world's problems and with the rising sea levels going on, the U.N was basically non-existent. Once New York was submerged, the U.N was gone for good. And the war was as good as on. And it did on June 28, 2114. The Pan-Arab League had massed hundreds of thousands of troops, tanks, armored fighting vehicles/infantry fighting vehicles, ships and planes of all types over the weeks and months leading up to the invasion. However, Israeli saw the massive preparations and dug defenses on every inch of Israeli soil. They Drew up all their reserves and sent them to the frontlines as well as all their vehicles, vessels and planes ready. However, it was barely enough to hold the frontlines against the Pan-Arab League assault. However valiant the efforts were by the IDF it wasn't enough and they began a fighting retreat to Jerusalem. Once they reached the city, the longest siege in history began. The siege cut off all land routes to resupply the city and its people. The only way out was by sea. Ships from the U.S and the United Commonwealth sent ships to aid in the evacuation of any and all citizens, military leaders and politics. The Siege of Jerusalem The siege of Jerusalem was the longest in military history and the most successful in history. The remaining population of Israeli was forced into the last city under their control. The city was bombed by aircraft and shelled by artillery cannons and MLRSs. The populous was forced under ground to hide from the destruction. The whole siege lasted for up to 163 days. The food was barely holding out and water, while being so close to the coast one could walk there, was partially bone dry. Operation Nightfall By the 164th day of the siege (the 18th of October 2116) the Israeli military was facing the total destruction of its main forces. Ammunition and fuel levels across the country were below 12%, many units were at less than 30% strength, and the Air Force has just thirty eight operational aircraft and UAVs. Intelligence reports indicated that the Pan-Arab armies were ammassing a massive force which would be unstoppable by the Defence Forces units still fighting. All indications suggested that an estimated one and a half million Arab troops were preparing to attack Israel on several fronts supported by over a thousand tanks and two thousand artillery pieces. In the early hours of the 19th of October the surviving members of the Knesset met with the heads of the armed forces and, after several hours of passionate discourse, agreed to utilise Israels strategic nuclear weapons. Israel possessed twenty two Jericho IV long ranged ballistic missiles, buried in armoured silos in the Negev desert. Each missile carried one of two payloads. Half carried a single ground penetrating warhead with a yield of 500kt designed to destroy deeply buried command and control bunkers, the rest were fitted with eight 50kt independent re-entry vehicles capable of wiping out larger targets including cities. In addition Israel had around thirty five Lilith free flight rockets each with a single 5kt tactical warhead which would be suitable for targeting troop concentrations. At 05:02 local time all of these weapons were launched. The Jericho IVs were fired at the major cities of the Pan-Arab League whilst the Liliths were targetted against several of the largest troop concentrations as well as against a number of smaller Arab towns. The cities of Aleppo, Amman, Baghdad, Basrah, Beirut, Damascus, and Tripoli (in the Lebanon) were destroyed alongside many other towns and cities, around two thirds of the massing Arab troops were also killed instantly. Over twenty five million people died as a result of the Israeli strike. The Arab Response Two of the Pan-Arab League, Iraq and Syria, were nuclear armed. Both had developed nuclear weapons in secret during the 2060's. Although the leaders of both countries were now dead they had both developed identical "dead man switch" policies and as a result their own arsenals were launched at Israel twenty minutes after the destruction of their national capitals. Twenty eight missiles, carrying one hundred and twelve warheads between them, were fired at Israel. Only the holy city of Jerusalem was not directly targeted. The South Asian Exchange Two hours after the last detonation in the Middle East, Pakistan launched three ballistic missiles towards India. The reasons for this attack remain a mystery as those responsible all died in the Indian retalitory strikes. Indo-Pakistan relations were stable and cordial at that point. Full diplomatic relations had been maintained for several years at that point, and cross-border trade and traffic was increasing. It has been theorised that elements within the Pakistani military may have been attempting a coup, using the conflict in the Middle East as a pretext to keep Pakistan "secure". Others believe that Islamic terrorists may have managed to infiltrate the Pakistani High Command and gain access to the codes. Either way the missiles were launched. Each Pakistani missile carried six MIRV, rated at 50kt each, plus a number of decoys. Each missile was targetted at a different city - Delhi, Hydrabad, and Mumbai. The Indian military had invested heavily over the years in ballistic missile defence. All major cities were surrounded by batteries of ABM-missiles and lasers whilst the IAF possessed several aircraft fitted with high energy lasers, at least one of which was airborne at the time of the strike. The missile aimed at Delhi was destroyed shortly after it entered Indian airspace but the other two were able to penetrate. The missiles aimed at Mumbia and Hydrabad were able to seperate their warheads. Mumbai, with a population of over 28 million the third largest city in the world, was struck by all six of the warheads aimed at it. The city was effectively destroyed. It's infrastructure was smashed, over 90% of the buildings are either destroyed or badly damaged, the power grid shattered, and with 86% of the population dead or injured, the few remaining medical facilities were overwhelmed. The missile fired at Hydrabad was able to seperate it's warheads before it could be intercepted. the IAF's airborne laser accounted for two of the warheads and the ABM defences around the city shot down three more. One warhead was able to land on the city in the southern suburbs, killing around three hundred thousand and injuring many more. India's response to this attack was to launch a sizable portion of its own nuclear arsenal at Pakistan. The capital city of Islamabad and the largest city of Karachi were each targeted by multiple missiles carrying large warheads. The cities of Lahore and Faisalabad, which lay close to the Indo-Pakistan border, were attacked by Indian Air Force jets armed with smaller yield weapons. In addition almost every large military base in Pakistan outside of those cities was targeted by low-yield (10kt or less) tactical nuclear weapons including ground launched cruise missiles and air-launched weapons. Because so many of these bases were close to or within the confines of urban areas many civilians were also killed in the attacks. Pakistan's ABM defences were no where near as efficient as India's but were never the less able intercept around a third of the missiles fired at the country. Despite these efforts however close to a hundred detonations took place across Pakistan. An estimated 70 million people died either as a direct result of the blasts or from injuries sustained. Fallout Between them the two nuclear exchanges threw up several billion tons of dust, ash, and other particulates into the atmosphere, much of it radioactive. This fallout eventually reached up into the stratosphere where it encircled the globe in a fine shroud, blocking out sunlight and causing temperatures to drop sharply. Within a year the planet was plunged into a nuclear autumn. Category:Wars and Conflicts